THE TWO CLAIMS

As the video clip from the movie “Bruce Almighty” tells us, many people believe there is a reason for everything, and God is in control of the outcome of events. For others this raises questions about the causes of interactions and processes in nature. Are these causes under the direction of some higher or divine force, or are they simply the result of naturally occurring forces that operate according to scientifically developed theories and laws?

Let’s listen to the claims of both a religious and scientific point of view:

THE SCIENTIFIC CLAIM

There are several ways that science identifies the powers and forces in work. You may be familiar with one very common force called “gravity.” Gravity is a force that holds objects to the earth. Scientist, Isaac Newton, discovered gravity when he saw an apple drop from a tree while he was thinking about the forces of nature. Gravity is a force of attraction between two objects and affects everything.

But gravity is not the only force or power at work in the world. Let’s listen to physicist Michio Kaku and scientist Bill Nye talk about the forces in nature. ​Click on the link below to view this video:

As Michio Kaku explains, there are scientific ways to evaluate and understand how these forces work. Science can measure, calculate, and predict the effects of these forces, but does not seek an answer for their ultimate purpose. ​Take a look at the claims of how Christians view God as the source of forces and powers at work in the natural world.

THE CHRISTIAN CLAIM

There are many ways that theologians, or people who think about and study God, have viewed the active presence of God in creation. Here are some, but not all, of the ways that have been considered:​

​So these viewpoints (Deism, Omnipotent, neo-Thomist, Kenotic) range from a God who made everything, then “left the building,” to a God that is all-powerful and in charge all of the time, to a God who acts within the natural processes. Sometimes Christians combine more than one viewpoint of how God works in the world, and sometimes they do not agree on these viewpoints. But it is important to remember that these disagreements are between Christians, not between Christians and scientists.

For the Christian, there are no testable theories that can verify the existence or predict the outcome of how God is working in the world. Instead, the claim of the Holy Spirit as “the active presence of God in creation” is dependent upon faith. As Rev. George L. Murphy tells us, “Finally, it is faith, our trust in the God revealed in Christ, that enables us to “see” God at work in the world. Our belief that God supplies our daily bread is something different from our knowledge of the processes that enable grain to grow, farmers to harvest it, and the economic system to put the bread in the store.”3

So now that we’ve listened to both the scientific and Christian claims of how each understands the workings of forces and powers in the world, we can see that neither one is to prove or disprove the other viewpoint. So what is the big deal? Click on the next tab, or the button below, and we will listen to what causes people to make a claim for one viewpoint over another.

2 George L. Murphy, “The Theology of the Cross and God’s Work in the World,” in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 33, no.2 (June 1998): 225. Note: The four views of the Christian Claim are also considered from this source.